Doug Ford already has a…

Doug Ford already has a legacy of complete disregard for the environment when it comes to preferred deals for business friends in this province. As seen via the 99 year lease of water front heritage property in Ontario Place. Given to a European spa at the cost of half a billion of tax payers dollars and the loss of generational greenspace habitat for local species that were making a strong comeback in the Toronto Isles. This is followed by the Greenbelt scandal, selling out a celebrated Ontario environmental venture at the cost of our wildlife and our children's health. The Trudeau Liberal government released the land for the proposed greenbelt highway project and it is still a flailing mess. There is no excuse for this Bill proposition except to deregulate wildlife protections so it's easier for crooked politicians like Doug Ford to cash in on our wildlife and children's future for a decent buck.

Let's not forget that Doug Ford held his snap election purposely during the month with the known political logistics to produce record low voter turn outs. All to benefit from populism of the Trump threat to our sovereignity. But Ford goes back to selling out Ontario to foreign interests and trying to deregulate our nature and wildlife. This bill makes it so land and permits can be sold off and churned faster than regulator bodies can keep up. But don't worry about that, they're going to decommission the regulator bodies that couldn't keep up with these shady construction companies. Now they don't have to keep up because they won't exist. Business interests can just run wild with efficiency. Because no business stakeholder would ever make more profits off the backs of the losses of the lower and middle class, right? Is this a win for Ontario citizens and wildlife; that shady construction companies will have it easier to go in and out of business every other year, miraculously declaring bankruptcy as they do, so government contracts can't hold them accountable for not meeting regulation standards or damages later…?

So, we're going to make things quicker and easier for the stakeholders that seek to benefit financially from cutting corners and trust that they won't? That's a good environmental plan?

It makes no sense.

This is an economic deregulation of wildlife protection for profiteerism. Full stop.

This right here is why this Bill 5 should fail and is against our Charter Rights to life and safety; including environmental safety from environmental destruction that is commonly called ecocide:

"Government will have the discretion to add species to or remove from the SARO list."

This is insane. Any government going forward has the discretion under this bill to remove whatever species it needs or wants to get a preferred economic project off the ground. How is this protectionism? It makes species protection flimsy based on who is in charge. A species could be removed from protections merely due to a convincing argument or bribe between an economic stakeholder and a premier. This is already occuring with our current government. May I reference the fact Doug Ford's daughter held wedding parties with mandatory financial donations, which were attended by government officials and representatives of private businesses working financially with the government and Doug Ford's family company directly. The current premier has a history of prefered expensive economic deals for his and his family's benefit.

This bill also proposed to remove the ability to establish advisory committees (watchdogs) for these economic developments. So less community oversight at the same time as having less regulation for environmental permits and registration. It's idiotic to think businesses are going to be honest with the government when they know no one is watching. There is no whistle to blow. They can get the permit over the computer, site unseen, and break ground without an assessment of any species or habitat actually nearby. What kind of protection act is that?

This bill is basically a bait and switch, a deregulation of species and wildlife protection for the economic benefit of rich developers under the guise of helping Ontario grow economically. This isn't about building homes and subdivisions for middle class people. This isn't about building good parks, safe environments, and generating strong STEM, manufacturing, and construction jobs for Ontario. This is about making money for rich companies and businesses off the dwindling wildlife and virgin land of this province. It's disgusting.

There is also zero explaination on changes to enforcement and it is one of the smallest sections of revision. There is no shared plan of accountability or justice for those that violate the proposed easy-come-easy-go permits and such of the proposed act. No legal revisions it seems. The bill states too simply that the government will have better tools to enforce a compliance model that was never explained logistically. What compliance model? No increase in fines. No mention of ecocide laws. It's plainface that this bill is a farce for environmental stakeholders. If there's no enforcement for laws and regulations, then making things more efficient actually means cutting corners and turning a blind eye on the potentiality for lifelong damage to Ontario, it's wildlife, and it's citizens.

Canadian children deserve a country that's clean and proliferate with Canadian wildlife. It's our home.

Finally, Bill 5 allows the government to "wind down the SCAA"... The excuse being that their Fund and committee hasn't put money into projects yet, but the SCAA was only established less than four years ago. I fail to see how economically that makes sense. How is it that four years of getting established as an environmental institution is unacceptable to Doug Ford but he can lease Ontario Place to a foreign company for 99 years at the cost of half a billion tax payer dollars? This bill also allows the government to take the money that the SCAA is collecting in their Fund and redistribute it as the ministry sees fit to projects in line with their act. But this is an economic act at its core. I don't trust the Ford government to delegate money it was not initially given, with only the administration's own lax regulations to make sure the Fund goes to wildlife protection ventures and not into rich pockets. As the current Conservative provincial government sits on the biggest party contingency fund pulled from tax payers ever whistleblown. I don't want a Fund's money disapearing into the wind of spending that is Doug Ford's conservative government. Especially when they've already been whistleblown for financial mismanagement and caught in multiple environmental scandals as we speak. Isn't such a proposal a violation of a Fund's legal establishment and trustee law? Either way, it's legislative stealing from a wildlife fund. Ford's bill then goes on to propose only up to 20 million to cover the voluntary investments into environmental initiatives the SCAA is involved with. Ford's government spent more tax payer dollars on buying out the Beer Store to get coolers and beers into gas stations and corner stores only one year sooner.

What is going on in Ontario?

Bill 5 should be shredded and used as animal bedding. That's the only benefit it offers to Ontario wildlife.

Sincerely,
Concerned 27 year old med student